Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 25 March 2014
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht
Canal By-laws and Naomh Éanna: Discussion (Resumed)
3:25 pm
Mr. Nigel Russell:
Yes. The Naomh Éannais currently in the dry dock. We have moved it into the dry dock to secure it from the main dock where if it did sink it would pull out the main dock. Waterways Ireland's proposal is to await the outcome of the Save our Naomh Éannagroup's proposals to see what they can place on board following which Waterways Ireland will consider what to do with it. The current proposal by Waterways Ireland is to scrap it. We believe it is suitably placed in the dry dock and we will secure it from there.
We realise there are security issues with the Naomh Éanna. One of the ropes released over the weekend. We asked the contractor about it and the Irish Nautical Trust came and secured the boat on Monday morning. In that area there will be an ongoing issue with that type of thing happening but we have our own harbour master there, and we have the Irish Nautical Trust keeping an eye on it. To do anything else would be significant cost to us, and we do not propose to go down that line at the moment.
The presentation from the Save our Naomh Éannatrust is being given to us tomorrow so we will await that.